Mining machines, such as continuous mining machines are used to remove material (e.g., coal) from underground mines, for example, room and pillar mines. A continuous mining machine removes coal from a mine wall using a boom-mounted rotating cutting drum that moves with a vertical shearing (i.e., up and down) motion while the machine advances into the mine wall. As the shearing motion removes the coal, a conveyor on the continuous mining machine operates to move the coal to the rear of the machine and into coal cars. The continuous mining machine operates to make a series of cuts in a coal seam.